He Didn't Have To Be
by Gleeker1995
Summary: A very interesting situation, caused by her ex-boyfriend named Wayne, has put a member of Fairy Tail in a conflict. Melody Drago, a singer at a tavern and member of Fairy Tail, finds herself pregnant and single. Just when she thinks she is alone, a certain member of the Raijinshuu reaches out to her. Could there be something more? Bix x OC! Sorry at summary! Better inside!
1. Chapter 1

**He Didn't Have To Be**

 **Chapter 1**

 _ **Melody's POV**_

It was another normal day at the guild. Chatter between teams, Natsu and Gray having an all-out riot as Lucy tried to break it up before Erza interrupted, and Master Makarov watching with a smile on his face. Yes, it was another normal day, but not for me. Normally, I would be sitting with Laxus, Bickslow, Evergreen, and Freed (known as the Raijinshuu), talking about the patrons at the tavern I sing at as a side job or something with our most recent job. They hadn't officially invited me to be a party of their team, but without fail, I always attended a job with them. Despite the reputation the team had, they were a fun group to be around, and who would have thought that Laxus had a soft side?! Certainly not me.

"Melody," Mirajane Strauss, a well-known takeover mage, pulled me from my trance, "are you doing alright? You've barely touched your shake."

I shrugged at her and took a little bit of a sip. "Is there any way I can take this to-go?" I asked her as I shoved the shake away from me. "I'm not feeling like myself, so I'm thinking of going home to rest."

"Sure thing." When her back was turned to find me a cup, I felt as if someone, or something, was watching me. I turned around to see if I could see who was looking at me, but nothing was found. Not even the Raijinshuu was looking down at me either. "Here you are." Mira said as she placed a Styrofoam cup in front of me. "Are you sure everything else is alright?"

I smiled at the white-haired mage as I poured my shake in the cup. "I assure you, Mira, that everything else is alright. I'm just not feeling like myself today." Putting the lid on the cup and grabbing a straw, I looked at her. "If you are that concerned, you are more than welcome to check up on me later. Right now, I could just use some rest."

"Alright." She conceded. "I'll take you up on your offer and check on you later. I hope you feel better soon!" This is why I liked Mira. She was always positive no matter what.

 _Nothing like seven more months won't fix._ I thought ironically in my head. "Thank you, Mira. I'll see you later." With that, I gave her a small smile and a wave as I walked out the door. The nagging feeling of someone, or something, watching me was back, but I decided to leave it be. If someone really wanted to grab my attention, they would have to come to me personally.

Magnolia was packed in the market area as it was a lovely day, so people were out and about. I just strolled and watched the children play with their parents. _That'll be me, soon._ I thought as I rubbed my belly. The tavern didn't need me today, which made today one of those rare days that I had off. Usually on those days, the Raijinshuu would be hanging around my place, and we would have a lovely dinner and have tea afterwards. Evergreen and Freed would occupy one couch, Laxus in my leather recliner, and Bickslow and I on my loveseat. Every now and then, I would catch Bickslow's arm around my waist and hold me tight, as if he was afraid I was going to disappear. I wonder what will happen when the little one is born.

When Bickslow found out I was dating this man from the tavern, he and I didn't talk for weeks. Come to find out that he had feelings for me, and I hurt him. He wouldn't give me a smile, wouldn't talk, or even recognize I existed. The last one hurt the most. I wouldn't ever admit this to him, but there would be nights where Evergreen would spend the night comforting me because of Bickslow. Things, now, are still awkward, but we are working on repairing our friendship.

"Hey, Mel." I heard his voice as his babies came out from behind me. _"Hey, Mel! Hey, Mel."_ They repeated.

"Hey, Bickslow." I greeted as I turned around. "What are you doing here?"

"Mira said you weren't feeling well, and when I went to escort you home, you had already left the guild hall." He explained as he neared me. "What is going on with you?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine." I tried to play it cool, but of course, he could see right through me.

"Don't give me that crock of shit." As I turned to walk away, he grabbed my wrist with a harsh grip and wouldn't let go when I tried to shake him off. "You seemed off these last couple of weeks but always plaster a fake smile on your face. You don't want people to worry about you. I get it, but this fake crap will only get you so far."

"You know me so well, don't you?" I sarcastically sneered when I was still faced away. "You have no idea how much stress and worry I've been dealing with when I found out my situation. Nobody needs to worry about me."

"I worry about you." Bickslow said gently that I almost didn't hear it. "What has you so worked up?"

"Nothing. It's not important." I turned and twisted in his iron grip as I tried to free myself. "Now, let me go!"

"No!" He, then, yanked me to him and wrapped his arm around me. "You are not leaving this hold until you tell me what's going on! I'm your friend, and I'm worried about you! Hell, the whole team is worried about you, but you're being too damn selfish to let anyone help you!" Bickslow growled the last part as his face inched closer to mine. "Now, what the fuck is bothering you?"

"Is that all that I am to you?" I spat out in disappointment. "Just a friend?"

"What are you talking about? I thought you had a boyfriend." He wondered incredulously.

Shaking my head, I leaned my forehead on his chest, "He's gone and left me to deal with the aftermath." I could have sworn I heard Bickslow growl as he pressed me closer to him as much as physically possible.

"What an idiot." He said, and I nodded in agreement. "What aftermath are you talking about?"

Sighing, I lowered my head in defeat and mumbled lowly, "He didn't want to be a part of his child's life, so he left me alone and pregnant." His hand ran through my hair and let go of his iron grip on my wrist to properly embrace me. I clutched to him in despair. "I'm so scared, Bix. I'll be a single mother who can't use her magic nor go on jobs because of doctor's orders. I'll be judged by the whole town for being an unwed woman with a child. I'll be barely surviving on the money I make at the tavern because the pay isn't that well. I'll be known at the town whore, Bix! I'm so scared."

"I won't let that happen. Not if I can help it." Bickslow said with determination before he turned to his babies. "Babies, take us to Melody's place." _"Mel's place! Mel's place!"_ They chanted as they picked up him and I and flew us to my place. My face was still shoved in his chest, so I didn't see when we arrived. "Do you have your key?" I nodded and dug it out of my pocket before I gave it to him. He unlocked my door, and as soon as he set me down, I ran straight to the bathroom to spill whatever was left in my stomach. Oh Mavis, I was pathetic in this state. "Oh, darling." I heard him say from the door.

"Bix." I moaned out before another round of nausea started. His hand ran up and down my back as the other one was holding back my hair.

"I'm right here." He cooed gently. "I'm not going anywhere." One of Bickslow's babies must have brought him a cold towel as he applied it to my neck. We stayed in that position I don't even know how long before I was sure all of the contents in my stomach were gone. His hand beat me to the knob to flush the toilet.

Leaning back against him and taking a couple deep breaths, I mumbled in a croaky voice, "I'm sorry, Bix."

"It's alright, Melody." He reassured as he pulled me closer to him when we were positioned against the wall, his chest against my back.

I shook my head weakly. "No, it's not. I hurt you when I was with him, Bix, but you hurt me, too." Tucking my head under his chin, I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent. "I missed you." I reached up behind me and gripped the straps of his visor to remove it. Feeling him tense, I gently asked him, "May I remove this? It's just us two, and I trust you not to hurt me."

He sighed and nodded as he tightened his grip on me. His metal visor fell to the floor with a clatter. "You know, you make it really hard for me to be mad at you. I'm still not happy that you dated him when you knew how I felt, but if you give me the chance, I would like to be a part of your child's life."

That perked my interest. "Bix?" I wondered as I pulled back to look at him.

His dark red eyes met my hazel ones as he petted my unruly red hair. "I would like to be a part of your child's life and raise it as my own with you. No child deserves to not have a father. I know you and I are not on the best terms right now, and I understand that, but I'm asking for a chance here. I want to be that man you come home to every day from a mission or from the tavern. I want to be the one you are in bed with every night and be the one who takes care of your child during the night when you deserve a night of rest. I want to be the one who makes you smile when you're sad, picks you up when you're blue, and calms you down when you're upset. Just, please, give me a chance." Bickslow rested his head against mine in desperation as he just confessed what he's been feeling.

Tears fell from my eyes during his confession. "You're right when you say we aren't on the best terms, because we aren't, but I would love nothing more than you to be the father to my child. However, we need to work on some things to rekindle our friendship. I think seven months would give you enough time do that."

"That's more than enough time for me, Mel." He said as he kissed my forehead. We sat in silence for a few more minutes before we both stood up. "I'm going to go make you some tea to settle your stomach. In the meantime, I would like you to freshen up. I'll be in living room when you're done." He kissed my forehead once more before he left me to my devices.

I looked in the mirror as I noticed the total mess that was portrayed on me. _I do not look attractive like this._ Scrubbing a hand down my face, I stripped off my clothing and started the shower. While it was heating up, I decided to brush my teeth to rid myself of the stench of vomit. I really couldn't wait for morning sickness to be done with. Once that was done, I rinsed out my mouth and stepped into the shower. A sigh of relief and contentment escaped me when my back hit the hot water. Next thing I knew, I hum the opening notes of a song I sing often at the tavern on regular demand.

 _Spend all your time waiting  
For that second chance  
For a break that would make it okay_

 _There's always some reason  
To feel not good enough  
And it's hard, at the end of the day_

 _I need some distraction  
Oh, beautiful release  
Memories seep from my veins_

 _And maybe empty  
Oh, and weightless, and maybe  
I'll find some peace tonight_

 _In the arms of the angel  
Fly away from here  
From this dark, cold hotel room  
And the endlessness that you fear  
You are pulled from the wreckage  
Of your silent reverie  
You're in the arms of the angel  
May you find some comfort here_

So lost in the song as I did my normal routine, I didn't even notice Bickslow near the entrance as he listened to me sing.

 _So tired of the straight line  
And everywhere you turn  
There's vultures and thieves at your back_

 _The storm keeps on twisting  
Keep on building the lies  
That you make up for all that you lack_

 _It don't make no difference  
Escape one last time  
It's easier to believe in this sweet madness  
Oh, this glorious sadness  
That brings me to my knees_

 _In the arms of the angel  
Fly away from here  
From this dark, cold hotel room  
And the endlessness that you fear  
You are pulled from the wreckage  
Of your silent reverie  
You're in the arms of the angel  
May you find some comfort here_

 _You're in the arms of the angel  
May you find some comfort here_

After I finished the song, I shut off the water and stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. I sat on the edge of the bath and pondered what my life would be once the little one was born. I'm excited, but I'm also nervous and scared at the same time when I thought about it. Shaking my head, I dried myself with my towel and changed back into the same clothes I was in, except my shirt, since it had traces of my last episode. Deciding not to have Bickslow wait any longer, I walked into the living room and saw him sitting on the loveseat that I share with him when the Raijinshuu is here.

"Hey, Bix." I called to him. His head turned to me and took in my appearance. I blushed and covered my torso and looked elsewhere. "I can go change."

"Don't." Bickslow said as he approached me. "You're beautiful, Mel. Don't hide away your beauty." He grabbed my arms that covered my torso and led me to the loveseat. As we both sat down, he handed me my tea. "Here you go. Be careful, though. It's still hot." I nodded and blew on the heated drink before I took a careful sip. I couldn't help myself as I cuddled against Bickslow. I missed this feeling with him because he always made me feel safe. His arm snaked around my waist and held me closer. His hand rested on my belly as if he was already claiming the child as his. "The little one's soul is very active."

I hummed in content and snuggled against him as close as I could. Bickslow's head was resting on top of mine. We still had some roadblocks to figure out, but as long as he's willing to make it work, I could, too. We still have seven months to figure everything out.

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 **A.N. - Hello, Readers! Long time, no see! I do apologize I have been away for so long, but with me being on summer break now, I have time to write! The last few weeks have been very chaotic: I lost my job, my boyfriend (now ex) moved away and found out he had a side chick in his new location, and getting ready to move back home to take care of Mom since she needs psychiatric help. In the meantime, I have also lost my interest in writing "The Story of Lillith" universe, and I do apologize. I had hit a major writer's block, and I decided it would be best to move onto something new. Hopefully, this will kick me out of it, and I will be able to go back to TSOL universe. Enjoy, R &R, and PM me if you have any ideas for this fanfic!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A few moments after we settled down on the loveseat, a knock at the door echoed in my apartment. Bickslow and I were enjoying each other's company, cuddling as I was drinking my tea.

He frowned at the door then me. "Are you expecting someone?" he asked as he unraveled us from our embrace to answer it.

"It's probably Mira." I told him as I stood up. "She said she was going to check on me later."

"Ah." Bickslow nodded as he made his way to the door. I went to my room to pull on my tan, knit cardigan to make sure I was covered up a little. I would rather not prance around in my black sports bra.

Walking out of my room, I noticed not only Mira, but the rest of the Raijinshuu had shown up as well. Looking from them to Bickslow, who shrugged his shoulders, and back, "Hey, guys. I hope you all didn't come just to see me."

"I came to check on you, but the others decided to follow." Mira said as she put a pot of what I'm assuming is soup on the counter.

"You left abruptly, Bix, shortly after she did." Evergreen said as she made her way to the sofa. "It's natural that we were worried."

"She's right, Bickslow." Freed responded as he followed her move. Laxus made his way to the recliner that he usually claimed.

"So, what's going on with yah, Singer?" Laxus asked as Bickslow and I walked back to the loveseat. Mira sat in the spot that I usually sat in, so I moved to sit on the arm before he pulled me into his lap.

I sighed as I turned to him and the others. "You all knew I was dating this guy named Wayne for a little while. We met at the tavern and hit it off right away. I thought we were happy, but as we progressed into the relationship, I noticed he wouldn't take no for an answer. He would threaten me if I didn't do things the way he wanted, and he was really rough intimately, too. Insults were thrown at me constantly, telling me I was worthless, hideous, ugly, you name it. Then, one day I noticed I was constantly sick, so I had an appointment with the doctor, who confirmed my worst fear: I was pregnant. I told Wayne about the news I received, and he hightailed it out of there. This all transpired two weeks ago. In the meantime, due to doctor's orders, I am not allowed to use my magic nor go on any jobs." Feeling tears coming on, I covered my eyes with my hand. "I can't even tell you how scared I am, you guys. I'm scared of how the guild will portray me, I'm scared of how the town we'll see me since I'm unwed, I'm scared on how I am going to support myself and my child when the job at the tavern doesn't pay that much, and worst of all, I'm scared to do this alone." A sob tore from my throat, and I took solace in Bickslow's embrace.

"You don't have to do this alone, remember?" he whispered in my ear. "I'm going to be here to be a part of the child's life as much as I can." I nodded and cried on his shoulder as he tried to calm me down as much as possible. There was no way to explain it. Bickslow had a comforting effect on me. My cries had turn to sniffles as I heard Evergreen ask a question.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner, Melody?" she asked. "We would have helped you."

Pulling myself away from his shoulder, I looked at her and simply said, "It was a pride thing at the time. I'm not a fan of asking for help. You know this." She nodded in understanding.

"Bickslow's right, Singer." Laxus interjected. "You're not alone. You're a part of our family as the Raijinshuu. We'll help you every step of the way."

"I can't go on missions, though." I tried to reason. "I can't be a part of the team if I can't use my magic nor go on jobs. I'm useless."

Laxus growled as I insulted myself while Bickslow held onto me as he agreed with Laxus' response. "Don't you ever call yourself useless, understood?" I nodded, still surprised that he growled. I've never heard him do that before. "You may not be able to do the things we can at the moment, but you are not useless. You have your own mission with your child. A nine-month mission, and you're already in two months of it. Your mission is to take care of yourself and keep healthy while your child is developing into the babe it's going to be. If I hear you insult yourself anymore, I will tell your boss at the tavern that you're taking a leave of absence to work in my office. Am I clear?" I nodded once again, a little afraid of Laxus' warning. It was an intense silence before Freed broke it, trying to be the gravity a little brighter.

"Have you been able to keep anything down?" Freed asked me, and I shook my head and looked down. "Hmm. I'll do some searching and see if I can find anything to make your morning sickness any easier."

"Thank you, Freed." I mumbled as I still looked down. I know I'm not receiving any nutritional value since everything I eat is returned to the toilet. My stomach growled, much to my embarrassment, as I looked at Mira. "I think I might have whatever you brought, Mira."

She gave me a warm smile as she stood up, "Sure thing. You stay right there." As she walked into the kitchen, I heard her rummage around for the bowls until she gave a triumphant, "Hah!", which was the same for the spoons. "Here you go." Mira said as she presented me a bowl of chicken dumpling soup.

"Thank you." I took the bowl from her as she gave me another warm smile before she turned to whatever conversation the Raijinshuu was having. After I managed to grab a spoon of soup, I put the spoon to my mouth before Bickslow's mouth covered it. I looked at him in dismay, carefully pried the spoon from his mouth, and quietly shouted, "Hey!"

He gave me a cocky grin as he swallowed the spoonful he just ate. "Sorry, I wanted a bite."

"If you wanted a bite, you could have said so." I mumbled back to him.

Bickslow gave me a kiss on the cheek as an apology. "I'm sorry, Mel. Here." He, then, took the bowl from me. "Let me feed you instead."

"I'm not an invalid." I gave him a soft glare with a straight mouth. He kissed me on the cheek again, which brought forward a blush.

"I enjoy doing the little things for you." He whispered by my ear. "I know you're not an invalid, but you are a pregnant woman who just released the contents of her stomach earlier. For now, just give me the solace of this moment."

I rolled my eyes and whispered back, "Alright. You win, but don't take anymore of my soup." He chuckled as he pulled back and fed me a spoonful of soup. Every other spoonful was mine as Bickslow decided he wanted to share. He was something else, but I wouldn't have him any other way.

"Ugh, you two get a room." Laxus groaned out. Bickslow froze as I looked at him wide-eyed with blushing. Mira smacked him on the arm as he took in our expressions. "What?"

"We aren't together, Laxus." I told him as I sat our empty bowl on the table. "My last relationship just ended, and Bix and I have some things to work out before we even consider a relationship. I hurt him. I didn't acknowledge his feelings for me when I was with Wayne. We didn't talk at all while he and I were together. It's not like magic, unfortunately. It takes time, and we have seven months to rectify that."

Mira served the others soup as she took our bowl. We all were talking about random things, but I wasn't very active in it as I sat there, thinking. Eventually, I would have to move, but where would I go? Who would watch my child when I'm on missions or when I worked at the tavern? Would I be a good mother? Would my child love me? All these doubts and questions ran through my head.

"Stop thinking." Bickslow suddenly whispered in my ear. "Stop thinking and enjoy your friends. You can do all your thinking tonight."

"Yeah, you're right." I shook my head to clear my thoughts. He kissed my cheek once again before he pulled back. "Would you stop doing that? You're making me blush." I complained as I hid my face in his shoulder.

He chuckled and petted my hair. "You look cute when you blush."

I pulled back to look at him with a serious look on my face, despite the blush. "No, I don't. Knock it off." Next thing I knew, my lips were on his. They were gentle at first, as if he was nervous that he crossed a line, but I gave him a little force back to reassure him. Releasing the kiss, I put my hand over his mouth as he started to apologize. "We'll talk later." He nodded as my hand cupped his cheek. "In all honesty, I've been wanting you to do that for a while. I had feelings for you, too, but I always thought you never wanted a girl like me. I thought I was wasting my time on a man who didn't view me the same way. That's why I moved onto Wayne. I'm sorry."

"Really?!" Bickslow exclaimed loudly, eyes wide. The rest of the Raijinshuu and Mira laughed at his reaction. He looked at the laughing group. "You guys knew, too?"

"Yes, Bickslow, we knew." Freed answered. "We were secretly taking bets to see who would confess first." Bickslow and I both groaned.

"You guys suck." Bickslow said, and I nodded in agreement. "I wish you told me, Melody. We wouldn't have had this problem."

"Well, it's out in the open now. All we can do is go forward." I told him.

Not too long after we all calmed down from our laughing and embarrassing development, Mira and the others started to trickle out one by one as dusk had fallen. I made Mira promise that she wouldn't tell anyone. I had yet to start showing, so I wanted to keep it a secret for a little while longer. Apparently Bickslow's babies had taken refuge in my room when I went to go change earlier. I wondered where they went to. Seeing everyone else out, I waved to them and shut the door for the night. Bickslow was still here, with his babies, on my loveseat, looking deep in thought.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked him as I sat on my coffee table and took one of his hands.

He gave me a small smile before he looked elsewhere. "I wish I had known that you had felt the same way about me back then like I do. None of this would have been a problem. Hell, you would probably be pregnant with my child by blood. I wanted you to be mine for so long, and now the opportunity is here, but not the way I wanted it to be." I was about to interrupt, but he continued. "You have no idea how much hurt and anger I felt when I found out about your relationship with Wayne. I couldn't look at you because I knew if I did, I was going to say stuff I was going to regret. That's why I did what I did, and I know that's no excuse. I'm so sorry, Melody."

"Hey," I gently cooed as I turned his head towards me. His eyes were filled to the brims with tears of regret. Wiping away his tears with a smile, I kissed his cheek. "What's done is done, Bix, and I'll admit, it hurt when you ignored me, but at the same time, I deserved it. You could have called me every name in the book, yelled to your heart's content at me, and I still would have deserved it." I shushed him as more tears started to gather in his red eyes. "I forgive you, Bixy." He launched himself at me and wrapped me in the tightest hug I've ever received while he was mindful of my abdomen. Returning his embrace, I petted his hair and continued, "I want to take this slow, okay? I'm still getting used to the idea of being a mother, but I know with you by my side, I'll be alright. I know this is most inopportune time to start a relationship, so that's why I want to take it slow. Is that okay with you?" I felt him nod in my shoulder as tremors ran up and down his body. Rubbing his back to give him some comfort, I asked, "Do you want to stay the night?"

"May I?" his shaky voice asked. I hummed yes in response as I waited for him to move. He needed this comfort, which I was more than happy to give. All that anger and hurt that I caused him was slowly being dissolved by my embrace. This was the least I could do.

While I was still comforting Bickslow, I looked at his totems. It's been a while since I've interacted with him, so I forgot their names. "It's been a while since I talked to you all, so I apologize since I forgot your names. Will you help me remember?"

" _Sure! Sure!"_ they all chimed in before they went one by one on who they were. _"Pappa!" "Peppe!" "Pippi!" "Poppo!" "Puppu!"_

"Thank you, babies." I smiled at them. "Do you want to stay the night, too?"

" _Stay with Melody! Stay with Melody!"_ They chanted in unison.

I giggled at them and tapped on Bickslow's back to let me stand up. "Come on, Bixy and babies. It's time for bed." Grabbing Bickslow's hand, I led them to my bedroom. Grabbing my small pillows and a couple of throw blankets, I sat Bickslow on the bed before I turned my attention to my bottom drawer. It was rarely ever used, so it would make a good sleeping spot the totems. I lined the whole bottom drawer with pillows. "Alright, who wants to be told good night first?" His babies surrounded me as they tried to shove their way to be first. "I think I'll go with you." I grabbed the first one that was closest to me and kissed its painted face. "Good night, Peppe." I repeated the process with the other four and set them down on their pillows. Tucking them in with the blankets, I told them good night once more and left the drawer open. I stood up slowly, since I had been kneeling for a little bit, and turned back to Bickslow. After I took off and folded my cardigan nicely, I laid down on the side of the bed closest to the wall and held out my arms to him. He took my invitation and held me close.

"You treated my babies to an actual bed." Bickslow whispered in awe. He kissed my cheek in appreciation. "Thank you."

I giggled as I cupped his cheek and rubbed my thumb on it. "Well, you want to be a part of my child's life. It's only fair that I return the favor." Looking from his eyes to his lips, I leaned forward and pecked his lips once, twice, three times before I curled myself into him and closed my eyes for the night. "Good night, Bixy."

"Good night, Melody." I heard him say and felt him put his hand on my abdomen. "Good night, Little One." A smile graced my face before I fell into the depths of sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Over the course of the next several days, Bickslow kept true to his promise and was always home whenever I came home from my day at the tavern. He would take off my heels that I wore, undress me of my dress I wore for the day, and would help me take off my makeup and massage my aching body.

One day I came home, tired from the tavern and the obscene names I had been called, and Bickslow treated me like a queen that night. He did his normal routine of undressing me, but on that day was the day that he first saw me fully undressed. I expected him to make a comment or make a move, but he did something completely different. He picked me up, carried me to the bath that he already drew, set me in, and sat next to the tub as I soaked. Part of me was tempted to invite him to bathe with me, but we were in the beginning stages. It was partially pushing it.

"You take good care of me, Bixy." I remember saying to him as I enjoyed the attention I was receiving.

"Anything for you and your little one." He replied back, kissing the crown of my head. I smiled at him and grabbed his hand to put it on my belly underwater. His thumb stroked my barely showing belly and gave me a kiss on my lips. We may not be a couple, but we sure as hell act like one.

A couple days after that, I made Bickslow promise that he would take me to the guild. He said he would take me whenever, and I said today. Keeping true to his word, Bickslow took my hand, intertwined our fingers, and walked to the guild. His babies flew close to me to protect the baby if something happened. It was a decently warm day in the spring, and I wanted to show a little skin. I chose to wear a salmon tank top over my black sports bra, a pair of black shorts, and flip flops. Bickslow didn't like it. He was jealous that the other men we passed were ogling my body. His lips wore a sneer, and his eyes were narrowed.

"Hey, Bix." I called out and squeezed his hand. His head turned to look at me as he squeezed my hand back. "I don't want anyone else, okay? I just want you."

"I know." He nodded and turned his whole profile towards me. At this point, I realized that we stopped walking. "I just don't like the looks that the others are giving you."

Standing on my tiptoes, I kissed him on mouth and threw my arms around his neck. "I'm not going anywhere, and neither is my little one. We're staying." His face contorted into strain as I said "my", but he nodded anyway. Bickslow took my hand again as we walked to the guild. He still didn't like the looks the other men were giving me, but I ignored them. The man I wanted was right beside me.

I squeezed his hand in reassurance as we entered the guild. Everyone was going around their normal business. Cana drinking everyone under the table, Mira watching the bar, Team Natsu causing ruckus, the Raijinshuu, minus Bickslow, overlooking the whole guild, and the Master watching his children interact. Everyone gave us a smile as we passed them, and no one asked why we were holding hands. Maybe everyone thought we got our heads out of our asses and confessed our feelings. We've been acting like a couple the last few days, and I was hoping soon I would be bold enough to ask him to be mine. I let him lead me up the stairs to the Raijinshuu's table, where Laxus had pulled out a chair that was in between Laxus and Bickslow's regular seats.

"Thank you, Laxus." I said as I sat down in the seat.

"You're welcome, Singer." He said in return as he pushed me in and sat back down in his seat.

"Are you hungry, Mel?" Bickslow asked as he gave Laxus an appreciative smile for doing the little things. His babies circled around my head. I think it is reaching the point where his babies are becoming my babies. They probably see me as their mother since I put them to bed every night.

"Just a little, Bix." I answered as I gave him my smile only for him. "Just tell Mira I want my regular. She knows which one it is."

"Sure thing." He kissed the crown of my head before he headed down to grab my order. I smiled and melted in my seat at his retreating figure.

"What's with the smile, Melody?" Evergreen wondered with a cheeky smirk on her face.

"Nothing. Just happy, Ever." I told her as I leaned back in my seat. "Happier than I've ever been."

"You know," Freed started to ponder as he tapped his chin. "I don't think I've ever seen Bickslow this happy."

"You're right." Laxus agreed as he turned to me with a teasing grin on his face. "Do you know why, Singer?"

"He's trying to prove himself to me that he can be the man to take care of me and the little one." Sighing happily, I looked over to his approaching form with my food. "Little does he know, he's already proved himself to me. There is no other man I want than him."

"Does he know?" Freed asked, leaning in on the table.

I shook my head. "No, he doesn't, but I'm hoping to tell him soon. Maybe tonight after I go home from the tavern."

"What about the tavern?" Bickslow wondered as he came back to the table with my food. My regular was a chicken salad with ranch dressing and a chocolate shake. He sat next to me and laid his arm on the back of my chair as I started to eat.

"I have a surprise for you after I come home from the tavern tonight." I told him as I took another bite of my salad. "I'm not giving you any hints, so don't even ask." He chuckled and nodded as he let me continue my meal. The rest of the Raijinshuu chuckled with Bickslow at my bluntness before they continued with the rest of their conversations. I tried to pay attention as much as I could while eating my salad, but what captured my attention was the yell of my news.

"MELODY'S PREGNANT!" Natsu's blue Exceed, Happy, yelled out. Everything seemed to stop. No one had expected that outburst from him, but I wondered how he found out.

Coming out of my frozen stupor, I said lowly, "Babies, go hunt down Happy and bring him to Mama." They zoomed past me to capture him, which led to a chase around the guild. Meanwhile, the Raijinshuu looked at me with concern as my pregnancy had been announced to the guild. I wanted to do it myself, but it appeared I no longer had that luxury. Bickslow wrapped his arms around me and turned my body so I could be pulled into an embrace. I rested my forehead on his shoulder as I tried calm my breathing since I was raging furious. "I wanted to tell them when I was ready."

"I know, sweetheart." Bickslow tried to comfort. "I know." He rubbed my back as I was still working on my breathing. "Just breathe. Whatever happens, just know I'll be here." He kissed the top of my head and rocked me back and forth in effort to try and calm me down.

" _Mama! Mama!"_ His babies cried out as they had Happy in their grasp. I turned my head to see Happy terrified with teary eyes.

"Melody!" Happy sniffled. "I'm so sorry!"

"How did you find out?" I asked him as I pulled back from Bickslow. "Who told you?"

Happy sniffled once more and wiped his teary eyes. "Natsu overheard Mira talk about your condition, and he also heard you mention your baby. You know sensitive his ears are. So, he got all excited that we were having an addition to the guild, and when he told me, I was all excited that I couldn't help but scream it to the world."

I sighed and held out my arms. "Come here, Happy." He flew into my arms and tucked his head in the crook of my neck. "I'm not happy that you told the guild because I wanted to tell everyone when I was ready, but I understand that you're excited. I'm excited, too, but I'm also really scared." Petting his fur, I let him cry into my shoulder. "Shh, Happy. It's alright." Looking over at Bickslow, I nodded my head. It was too late now. I had to tell the guild my news. "I'm going to hand you over to Bix, okay? Don't be afraid. He's not going to hurt you." I handed over Happy to Bickslow and stood up to walk over to the railing. "Attention, Fairy Tail!" Everyone turned their attention to me. "As you heard Happy announce, I am, in fact, pregnant! I'm two months along, and before any of you ask, Bickslow is not the father. The father of my child wants absolutely nothing to do with their life. In the meantime, I cannot use my magic nor go on any jobs, so Bickslow and the Raijinshuu have been helping me. All I ask is your support while I go through a trivial time."

"If any of you have a problem with that, you have to go through us." Laxus added as the Raijinshuu, with a crying Happy tucked into Bickslow's neck, joined me. "She is a part of our team and a part of our family now. You hurt her, you hurt us." It took a moment for the guild to process what he just said before they erupted into cheers. We all looked at each other as we tried to comprehend what just happened.

"Well done, my boy." Master Makarov said as he joined us on the railing. "You finally understand what it means to be a part of a family."

"Maybe that year of exile made me understand what it's like to have a family." Laxus suggested with a small smile. "Melody and Evergreen are my sisters I never had, and Freed and Bickslow are my brothers. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Makarov grinned at him before he turned his focus onto me. "Now, Melody, I would like you to visit Wendy and Porlyusica to check on the child and make sure everything is well."

I nodded to Master as I sank to my knees. "I apologize for not telling you first, Master." Bowing my head, I continued, "I just wanted the selfish luxury of keeping my pregnancy hidden until I had started to show."

"My child," Makarov said as he placed a hand on my head. "You have nothing to apologize for. You are a strong woman with an amazing team and guild as your support system. It wasn't your fault that the man who is to blame for your pregnancy is not mature to be a father. You know what I see?" I shook my head as I raised it look at him. "I see a talented fighter who is also a wonderful mother to her child. I see this young woman before me as one of my children who can defeat the odds."

Tears started to fill my eyes at his words. "I'm scared, Master." My voice pathetically broke as I hugged the short, elder man to me. His short arms returned the embrace as best as he could. "I know I have everyone to help me, but the thought of being a mother is terrifying. Am I strong enough to do this?"

"Melody, my child, you have more strength than you know." Makarov gave me reassurance with his words and his actions in that embrace. "Parenthood is scary, and when you feel like giving up, we'll all be here to pick up the pieces." I tightened my grip on him and shed a few tears of fear and relief before I released him, only to be embraced by the whole Raijinshuu team, including Laxus and Happy. "Now, regarding your job at the tavern."

The four members and the Exceed released me once Master spoke again. "Yes, Master?" I asked with trepidation.

"Bickslow informed me the other day that some of the patrons at the tavern were being scandalous and rude. Is this correct?" he inquired as I turned my gaze to Bickslow, who was hiding behind Laxus. My eyes narrowed at him, and he shriveled even more behind him.

"Yes, this information is correct." I replied with reluctance. This feeling I have is not good.

"Now, child, don't be upset with Bickslow." Master reprimanded gently. "He was looking out for the wellbeing of your child and its mother, and he feels the environment the patrons are causing is unsafe. I have to say I agree. With that being said, I took the liberty of calling the owner and letting him know of your situation. He's upset that you have to leave, but with your pregnancy, he understands."

"But, Master, my job." I tried to reason. "How will I support myself and my child?"

"Here's my compromise, Melody. For the rest of the duration of your pregnancy, I would like you to stay here and help Laxus with paperwork, and you would be receiving pay for it." He offered, which didn't sound too bad. "I don't want you on your feet more than you have to, and to be honest, Laxus isn't great with paperwork."

"Hey!" Laxus yelled out in protest.

"You would receive free meals and drinks when you are here." Makarov continued as he if he didn't hear Laxus. "I would make sure you were off at a reasonable time, so you could rest. How does that sound?"

Sighing, I nodded with the argument that Master made. "I hate to give up my job at the tavern, but as of late, the patrons have been more perverted because of how much alcohol they drink. Right now, this would probably be the easier and safer job to do. I accept."

"Brilliant!" He said in jubilee. "I want you to take the rest of the week off and start on Monday. You will be working in Laxus' office, so I hope you get along!" I giggled and nodded at him before he walked downstairs to mingle with the rest of the guild.

After the whole commotion and excitement settled down, I felt myself to be emotionally drained. I leaned back against Bickslow, who wrapped his arms around my waist, and sighed. It was like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders, but I'm saddened to leave my job with the tavern. The owner treated me like a part of the family, but I'm glad he was able to understand my current situation. Hopefully he'll take me back when my pregnancy is complete. I turned my head and rested my forehead against his jaw as I closed my eyes.

"You alright?" Bickslow whispered in my ear as he started to rock me back and forth slightly.

I hummed my affirmation and nuzzled his cheek with my forehead. "Just tired." I mumbled back to him. "As much as I would love to stay at the guild, I kind of want to go home and rest."

"Are you sure? You didn't finish your food." His hand rubbed my barely showing pregnant belly. I nodded to his question and joined one of my hands with his on my belly. "Okay. We'll go home." Once again, I nodded as I heard him tell everyone he was taking me home for the day and called his babies to follow. Next thing I knew, I was being lifted up into a bridal's embrace as he carried me home. He ignored all of the calls and looks I had received, and I didn't see anyone but him. It was a comfortable walk in silence as we headed home.

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 **A.N. - Hello, again! I thought I treat you to the first three chapters! I thought it would be a cute idea to have Bickslow's babies call Melody "Mama". R &R, and remember to PM me if you have any ideas!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Once we were home, with me still in his arms, Bickslow carried me to my bed, tucked me in, and kissed my forehead. He was about to leave the room, but I grabbed his wrist to stop him and sent him a silent plea for him to stay. Sighing, he nodded, toed off his shoes, and climbed into bed next to me. Bickslow pulled me closer to where I was laying on his chest with an arm wrapped around me and our legs intertwined. His babies flew to the bottom drawer and made themselves comfortable in their bed. Even though I was physically exhausted, I was still mentally wide awake. It usually takes a little while for me to shut down.

"Hey, Bix." I softly called out and received a "yeah" in return. "I noticed today that your babies called me "Mama". When did that start?"

It took him a moment to think before he answered. "I think it started yesterday, before you came home from the tavern. If it bothers you, I can tell them to stop."

I shook my head as a smile graced my lips. "I'm actually honored they think of me as their mother. It makes the reality of a family so much more real." Sitting up, I crossed my legs and looked down at him. "On a more serious note, I have had the opportunity to think of everything you have done for me and the little one as of recently, and I want you to know I am forever grateful that you are in my life, Bickslow." I carded my fingers through his hair and smiled at him. "Last week, you asked me to let you be a part of this child's life, to be a father to a child that isn't even yours, and I can't express how much this means to me." Dabbing at the corners of my eyes as I felt the tears starting to form, I huffed a laugh and continued, "And you also asked me to be the man who would greet me when I came home from a mission or a night from the tavern, the man who would lay with me in bed every night, regardless if we fought, the man who wants to care for me on my worst days." I huffed a laugh again as more tears became more pronounce and started to fall. "Bixy, sweetheart, you have done more than what you can possibly know, and you won over my heart. So, I ask you, will you take the honor of being my boyfriend?"

His eyes widened at my words and shot straight up to look me in the eyes. He gulped as he tried to form words when he cupped my face. "Are you pulling a joke on me right now?" I gave him a watery smile and shook my head no. "Oh my Mavis!" Bickslow planted his lips on mine in a searing and passionate kiss and wrapped his arms around me so tight I thought I wouldn't be able to breathe. He had been waiting to hear those words from my mouth for quite some time, and now he did, he couldn't comprehend it was happening. When he broke the kiss, he kissed my wet, salty cheeks before he laid me down to kiss my barely showing belly. "Hi there, little one. It's your Daddy, and I promise you that I'm going to take the best care of you and your mother. I'm so lucky to have you both in my life. I love you so much, and I haven't even met you yet. Just promise Daddy that you'll stay healthy for your Mommy and I." He kissed my belly once more before kissing up my body to capture my lips in one more kiss. "I can finally start saying "our little one" now." He said against my lips.

"I'll take that as a yes?" I asked him as I pulled him to me. He nuzzled my neck and laid a hand on my pregnant belly.

"It a hell yeah." He responded as he pulled me closer and rewrapped the blanket around our bodies. "Now, it's time to rest." His babies chimed in to agree. _"Sleep, Mama, sleep!"_ I giggled and blew them a kiss before snuggling against Bickslow to sleep.

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I woke up sometime during the evening, maybe around five or six. Bickslow and his babies weren't anywhere to be seen, but I didn't want to leave the comfort of my bed. Unfortunately, my stomach had other plans. Running as fast as I could, I ran to my restroom to retch up the contents of my stomach. It wasn't as prominent as it had been in the beginning stages, but every now and then, I had a spell of sickness. The constant heaving and the contents hitting the water must have alerted Bickslow and his babies I was wide awake and sick. I heard Bickslow's running footsteps to the restroom to find me heaving and hacking up whatever was left.

"Bix," I moaned when I heard the door open. Next thing I knew, I felt a hand pull my hair back and another one rubbing my back. Hacking the unsavory taste and little chunks into the toilet, I moaned out, "I thought this was done."

"It's okay." Bickslow cooed as he continued his ministrations on my back. "You're alright." Once he was sure that I was done, he flushed the toilet and leaned me back against his chest when his back hit a wall. "Do you want to visit Porlyusica tomorrow to see what she has to offer?"

I nodded my head slowly. "It might not hurt." I roughly said as my throat burned from the acid of the contents. As soon as I felt alright to stand up, with Bickslow's help, I walked over to my restroom sink to rinse out my mouth. I, literally, could not stand the taste of vomit. Even the smell of it made me want to do it again. When I was done with that, I made my way to the loveseat, in the living room, and sat down. Covering my eyes with my hand and leaning on the arm, I mumbled out, "I hope this baby is worth all the sickness."

Bickslow rubbed his hand up and down my arm as he wrapped his other one around my waist. "Our little one will be." He said as he rested his chin on my shoulder. "Our son or daughter will be worth every sickness, every kick, every sleepless night. They'll have amazing parents to raise them and amazing babies to play with when we can't. This whole pregnancy will be worth holding our child when it arrives." I turned my head toward him, lifted my hand to peak at him, and gave him a small smile. "You remember what Boss said. This is your mission now, and you best see it through till the very end." After that, he walked into the kitchen while his babies made sure their Mama was alright before he returned with food. He carried in a plate of fruit with sandwiches and a semi-hot tea for me, which I'm guessing he tried to cool it with ice, and a water for him. "I kind of figured you would have an episode after you awoke, so I made something light."

I kissed his cheek before I dug into my meal. "Thank you, Bixy." We sat in silence as we ate and watched as Peppe was chasing Puppu and Pippi around. Pappa was sitting by me while Poppo was sitting by Bickslow. The three who were chasing each other around received a minor scolding from him when they almost knocked over a photo I hold dear. A smile stretched across my lips as I ate the last pieces of my fruit and sandwich before I held my teacup in both hands. I cuddled into Bickslow's side since his arm closest to me was stretched along the back of the loveseat, which, then, wrapped around me when I moved closer. It's already starting to feel like a family with his babies here, and three of them acted like children! I saw Peppe knock into Pippi hard, which caused the latter to squawk. Bickslow was about the issue another reprimand, but I raised my hand and took care of it. "Peppe, this is your second warning. Play nice and fair with your siblings and don't knock into anymore things, or else you're done for the night. Am I clear?"

" _Yes, Mama."_ Peppe responded as he tilted his painted face down. _"Sorry, Mama."_

"Apologize to Pippi, too." I commanded. Peppe did what he was told before he went back to playing with his siblings. I felt proud I was able to do that, especially since I consider them my babies, too. Bickslow squeezed me gently, as if to say he was proud of me. "I consider them my babies, too. Both parents need to take the responsibilities."

Bickslow gave me a loving grin before he kissed my temple. "You never cease to amaze me, sweetheart." I turned my head and gave him a sweet, simple kiss and rested my head on his shoulder. We stayed like that for a little while and continued to watch the wooden totems play around like children. Pappa and Poppo rested on our laps and watched as their siblings played, but not long after that, Poppo decided he wanted in on the fun and joined his siblings. It was a perfect way to end an emotional day, but I didn't want to go to bed just yet. Bickslow took our dishes and rinsed them when I completely drank the rest of my tea.

"Pappa, do you want to join your siblings and play?" I asked the wooden totem in my lap.

" _No. I'll stay with Mama. Makes me feel closer to baby."_ Pappa answered as he snuggled towards my belly. _"I want to protect baby."_

I picked up Pappa and kissed him on his painted face. "I know you'll protect our child, Pappa, as will your siblings. Bixy and I are excited for our baby to arrive, but I'm really scared, too. Yet, when you all and Bixy are around, I don't feel so scared anymore. It's like you were meant to be here in my life." I sighed and looked down in shame when I remembered what I did. "I was a fool to hurt him like that, and I wish I had known sooner how he felt. I'll be, for as long as he wants me, making it up to him. It's too early to say if I truly love him, but I think as long as he's willing to be with me and help me through my pregnancy, then maybe I can." Pappa flew from my hands to snuggle my face and purr in contentment when I hugged him close to me.

"You know, Mel," Bickslow's voice interrupted my conversation with Pappa. "Love doesn't happen overnight. It takes time, and we agreed to take it slow." I set Pappa back in my lap, near my barely showing belly, before turning my head to Bickslow. He was drying his hands on one of my dish towels as he leaned against the recliner. "Stop feeling guilty about what happened in the past, too. You hurt me, but you learned from your mistakes, as did I. I shouldn't have acted the way I did because you didn't know how I felt, and I can't hold that against you." A knock at the door echoed in my apartment unexpectedly. We both shared a confused look as Bickslow answered the door. "Are you up for a little bit of company?"

"Who is it?" I asked as I straightened my posture on the loveseat.

"It's Mira and the rest of the Raijinshuu." He answered as he looked back at me.

I shrugged. "Sure, for a little bit. We aren't busy." He took that answer and showed everyone inside. Standing up, I accepted Mira and Evergreen's hug and Laxus' one-arm embrace before giving Freed a nod in his direction. He wasn't much of an affectionate person and was terribly awkward around women. Right as everyone took their seat, Bickslow came right in with tea and the condiments for them with some sugar cookies we bought last night before he lifted me up and placed me on his lap. "What's going on?"

"It's been a little while since we last hung out with yah, Singer." Laxus said as he pulled off his sound pods. "We were worried when you didn't show up at the guild for a few days."

"Sorry about that." I chuckled sheepishly as I rubbed my neck. "I was working at the tavern and sleeping and having sickness spells. Plus," I said as I turned my direction to my boyfriend. "My boyfriend was being overprotective." Mira squealed in delight as we came clean. Evergreen and Freed had smiles on their faces, and Laxus had that stupid smirk on his face when he knew it would work. I shook my head and blushed at them. "I had another sickness spell today, so Bickslow and I are going to go see Porlyusica tomorrow just to make sure everything is normal."

"Let us know how Little Bit is doing." Laxus respond, but before I could make a comment, I saw a mark on Mira's neck. I looked from Mira to Laxus and back and forth. "Singer, you okay?"

"Mira!" I squealed. "How's the lucky man that snatched you up?" Her gaze went from mine to Laxus' as her pale complexion turned red. "No way! I'm so happy for you! When did this happen?"

"A couple days after you told us you were pregnant." Mira said shyly. "It's actually a mating mark, not a love bite. Laxus and I are bound to each other for life."

"How romantic." Evergreen and I fawned. Bickslow poked me in the side at my reaction, which sent me a good couple inches from his lap and almost on the floor, if he hadn't caught me.

" _Bad! Bad!"_ Pappa chanted as he took his spot on my lap again and stared at Bickslow. _"Protect baby from harm. Be more careful."_ I covered my mouth as a giggle slipped through while Bickslow just stared down at his baby.

"Thank you, Pappa. Bix didn't mean any harm. We were just playing." I told the totem as he snuggled closer to my belly. Petting the top of him, I turned my head to Bickslow and whispered, "He's going to be more protective now since I'm starting to progress." He nodded as he continued to stare down at the totem. I gave a small laugh, kissed his cheek, and turned my attention back to our guests. "So, a new development happened recently to where Bickslow's babies now see me as their mother. They behave like children some days, and other days, like right now with Pappa, they want to guard me and protect the little one. It feels like a family, though, so I can't complain."

"I think it's cute how they see you as their mother." Mira said as she observed the totem in my lap. "It shows how they trust you and how they adore you. They can probably sense the soul of your little one in your womb, and with Bickslow in your life, they extend that protection to you and your child." Bickslow and I looked at each other and shrugged, knowing it might be a possibility.

"On the days they act like children, especially when Peppe plays rougher than the others, Bickslow or I will give them a warning to stop. It has yet to come to a punishment." A small smile appeared on my face. "Either way, they have a drawer they share, which I turned into a bed for them. I couldn't have it either way." Mira and the others shared a smile with me.

"Bickslow, you're being awfully, and unnaturally, quiet." Freed pointed out. "Is something bothering you?"

Bickslow shook his head. "No, not really. I've been listening to the conversation, but I'm just thinking."

"What are you thinking about, Bix?" I asked him softly. "Is it something bad?"

He chuckled at me and shook his head. "I'm just thinking about how you said my babies were becoming yours and how they acted. It kind of put in a trance, and I could see our child playing with the babies as we were watching them on the porch. It made me think that in six-and-a-half months, we're going to be parents." He looked around at the space that we were in. "You're going to have to move at some point. This place is too small. You could move in with me."

"Wherever you are, I'm home." I said as I kissed his cheek and gave him a loving smile. Checking the time, I realized it was after eleven. We talked longer than expected. A yawn escaped as I looked at the others. "I hate to do this because I love you all, but it's after eleven, and this Mama is tired. I'll see you all at the guild tomorrow after I meet with Porlyusica." They nodded as we walked them to the door. Laxus, Mira, and Evergreen gave both Bickslow and I a hug, and I nodded at Freed as he clasped Bickslow's upper arm.

After we closed and locked the door for the night, we extinguished the lights and walked into my-our-room. He waited for me on the bed as I did my nightly routine with the totems and tucked them in for the night. Extinguishing my bedroom light for the night, I stripped of my bra and left my top on before I laid next to Bickslow. His arm pulled me close, pulled the duvet over us, and put his hand on my belly. We wished each other a good night before sleep consumed us.

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 **A.N. - Hello, Readers! How am I doing so far? Do you like it, or is it missing something that you have yet to see? If so, PM and let me know! I'm open to ideas! I'm having fun with this story, and I hope you all are enjoying it! I thought it would be a cute idea for Bickslow's babies to call Melody "Mama" and have a domestic night with all of them! Read and Review! Much love!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Next day, as planned, Bickslow and I walked to Porlyusica's house to do a check-up on my and the baby's health. I wore a loose top with jeans and sandals, and Bickslow wore a dark multi-colored shirt with dark wash jeans and canvas shoes. Ever since we started our relationship, he's been wearing his visor less and less. I'm not sure as to why, but my guess it that he is more comfortable with his magic and me. We were walking hand-in-hand, our fingers interlaced with the other. His babies decided they wanted to lie in bed and would wait our return. However, a question nagged at my mind as we were walking, but I may, also, be seeing this from my perspective. I stopped walking and looked down with a frown on my face.

"What's wrong, Melody?" he asked when noticed I wasn't walking anymore.

I was silent for a moment as I internally debated if it was wise to bring it up, but Bickslow had this expectant look on his face. Might as well. "This may be from my perspective, but I feel like everything we do is for the baby. The shopping, the healthy meals, the restrictions. We haven't even gone on a date since we've been together. I don't know. I feel like we've been so focused on the baby that we haven't had time for us, Bix." I took the opportunity to shift my gaze from the ground to him and noticed the blank look on his face. "Bixy?"

"I never realized you felt like this, Mel." He yanked on my arm and pulled me into an embrace, and his arms wrapped me tightly. "I was so focused on making sure you and the baby were healthy I didn't notice I was hurting you, again. Mavis, I feel horrible." His head rested on my shoulder. "I promised when we got together, I was never going to hurt you again. When you told me the news of your baby, I told you I was going to be there for you and the little one. It seems that I'm only thinking of our little one. I'm sorry." He turned his head and placed a kiss at the base of my neck. I returned his embrace with one arm along his back and my hand cupping the back of his neck

I turned my head to look at him as best as I could. "You didn't hurt me, Bixy. I was just pointing out what I saw. I'm happy you're fussing over our baby, but I was feeling a little neglected." After I kissed his temple, I pulled his head from my shoulder and kissed his lips. We stood in the middle of the cobblestone road and kissed each other tenderly. Both of us needed this comfort and reassurance, and we happily gave it to each other. I, finally, pulled back to catch a breath and leaned my forehead against his. "Are you ready to make sure your two favorite people are okay?" Bickslow nodded and kissed my forehead before he intertwined our hands once again and began to walk.

I only met Porlyusica once before when I joined the Raijinshuu on a mission, and I had been moderately injured. My calves were sliced up, and I had been stabbed in the abdomen by a poisoned dagger. Laxus took immediate action and teleported him and I from our mission location to the older woman's place. She took care of me for a week, and even though she doesn't like other people, she had a soft spot for me. It's safe to say, though, she still intimidates me.

Eventually, we reached her house (that was made out of a tree). Both of us were a little afraid to knock at the door, but I was the one who built up some adrenaline and knocked on her door. We could hear hurried and agitated footsteps coming to the door.

"What you two doing here?" she snapped at us in her usual manner.

"Good to see you again, Porlyusica." I greeted as she turned her attention to me and gave me a small smile. Yep, she still had that soft spot. "Master Makarov sent us here because I am pregnant. He wants to make sure the child that grows in my womb is healthy and well. I should probably mention that this man beside me, Bickslow, is not the father. The father hightailed it out of there when I told him, so Bickslow stepped up to the plate and took on the father role."

"I see." Porlyusica mumbled as she nodded her head. "Come on in and lie on the bed, Melody. You, sir, will sit next to her in a chair." We nodded and did as we were told after we left our shoes at her door. That was one of her biggest pet peeves is people wearing shoes in her house. I laid on the bed with my abdomen showing as I let Bickslow hold my hand. He kept giving it kisses and squeezes. We both were nervous but excited to see our child. Porlyusica came back with a lacrima that allows us to hear and see the child. "How adorable." She said with a monotone drawl. "Alright. I'm just going to check your abdominal area." Her hands pressed and squeezed all around my abdomen and did a check on the area where my womb sits. She did all of her checks before she grabbed some gel for the lacrima. It was colder than I expected, so I jumped a little bit before I gave a playful glare to Porlyusica. In return, she gave me a playful smirk before she touched the wand of the lacrima to my abdomen. "It appears your child is fine and well. Healthy, too." She showed us our child on the screen, who appeared to be no bigger than a kumquat. Tears sprung to my eyes as I took all this in, and it appears I wasn't the only one. Bickslow's eyes were misting as he looked at the screen as well. "Do you want to hear the heartbeat?" Both of us nodded as she turned on the volume of the device. The sound of a heartbeat echoed through the room. I put a hand to my mouth to prevent a sob from escaping. Looking up at Bickslow, his misty eyes met mine. His hand petted my hair, and his lips kissed my forehead. We, both, were happy, very happy.

Looking over at Porlyusica, who had a soft, real smile on her face, I managed to say, "Thank you, Porlyusica."

"Yes, thank you." Bickslow agreed as he stuck out his hand to her, and she shook it.

"You're welcome." She accepted as she wiped the gel from my abdomen and gave me some tissues. "Now, since you're near the end of your first trimester, I want you to come here every two weeks for an appointment. How's your nausea?"

"It comes and goes." I tell her as I wipe my eyes and sit up. "I had a spell last night, so it's been a struggle keeping food down."

She nodded and gave me a medium dark brown glass bottle with a dropper. "I want you to take this in the morning. Drop two to three drops in your drink. It should help. Use it until bottle is gone." I gave her an affirmative nod and gave the medicine to Bickslow, who put it in his deep pants pocket. We thanked her once again, said goodbye and that we'll see her in two weeks, and started to walk back home.

After a twenty-minute walk back home, Bickslow made me tea and put a couple droplets of medicine in. "Here you are, Mel." He said as he gave me the hot drink. I had woken his babies up around the time we returned home, and they were playing about like usual. Poppo decided it was going to be his day to sit on my lap and protect the baby. Once again, Peppe decided he was going to be a stinker and play rough, which led to me giving him a reprimand. He apologized to Puppu and continued to play nicely. "Do you want to go out tonight?" I heard Bickslow suddenly ask.

"What brought that on?" I asked in return as I looked at him from my peripheral view.

"I was thinking about our earlier conversation about how we haven't had any time to for us because we've been worrying about our little one. And then, at Porlyusica's, when we heard the heartbeat and saw the image of our child, I made me realize how truly I am in love with you." He saw my eyes widen at this confession, he hurriedly said, "I don't expect you to say back, but I thought I should let you know. I – "

I cut him off with a quick kiss to his lips. "I'm flattered, Bix, I truly am, and the truth is I'm still falling. There is something there, trust me, there is, but I can't say for certain what it is." I honestly told him. "And for the record, I would love to go out tonight."

"Alright." Bickslow pecked my lips once more. "It's a date." I beamed at him with a huge smile as I quickly walked to our room after I finished the tea. Sifting through my closet, I found a sleeveless, floor-length black dress I wore on a few occasions when I worked as a singer at the tavern. The only problem was the zipper in the back, and my arms were too short that I couldn't reach it. Bickslow sensed my trouble and walked in to me struggling with it. "Turn around." Huffing, I gave up and obeyed him. He zipped up the back and kissed the base of my throat. "Beautiful."

"I'm not done yet." I reminded him.

"It doesn't matter if you're all dolled up or if you're in sweatpants and a shirt. I'll still find you beautiful." He kissed my cheek, then turned me around and kissed me gently on my lips. I don't know how long we stood there kissing, but one of us had to break so we could continue to change for our date. He grabbed the outfit he needed before he walked out to the living room to change. Shaking my head, I put on my stiletto, black heels that had the red sole before I did a light make-up. Wow, it had been a little while since I allowed myself to be dolled up. A light knock at the door echoed through the room. "You almost done?"

"Yeah." I hollered. "I'm just doing some finishing touches." Once I made sure my earring was good to go, I opened the door and walked out. The first thing I saw was his black dress pants with shined black dress shoes, then his dark blue button down, and then he had deactivated his tattoo for me. His face, though, was wide eyes with a gaping mouth. "Bickslow, something wrong?" I asked and received no response. "I can go change."

"Don't." He managed to finally say out of his stupor. "I told you you're beautiful no matter what, but Mel, you look absolutely gorgeous tonight." He kissed the back of my hand and walked with me out the door. "It's not like every night that I get to show off my girl." I blushed and ducked my head at his comment. It's not common for me to hear someone say that want to show me off. "Quit thinking and enjoy the time. It's just you and me tonight." We continued to walk until we reached our destination. It was the tavern!

"The tavern?" I asked with a confused look.

"It was here I first noticed you." Bickslow answered. "Yes, we met at the guild, but at the time, I thought you were a ditzy, weak mage. I didn't know your magic, nor did I know your strength, but I came here, one night, for a drink. I wanted to have a good time, and people were telling me about this tavern and the singer, so I decided to check it out. When I saw you walk out onto the stage, I was surprised you worked here, but nothing could prepare me for the wondrous voice you have, sweetheart. Everything I thought I knew about you flew out the window. I would come here once a week to watch you perform. I wanted you to be mine, and when other men touched you, I was jealous and upset, but that doesn't matter now. You're here with me."

I smiled at him in adoration. "Yes, I am." I squeezed his hand and walked in. The tavern was full of patrons like a normal night, but it all went silent when they noticed I walked in. "Hey, fellas!" I hollered out, and they erupted into cheers and demands for a song. I looked over at Bickslow and told him to find us a seat before I walked onto the stage. Taking the microphone from its holder, I started to announce. "Alright, everyone, quiet down. I have an announcement to make. As of a few days ago, I was told by my guild master I would be taking a leave of absence. Why? It's because I'm expecting a child, or to put it in Layman's terms, I'm pregnant!" The tavern erupted into another round of cheers and applause of congratulations. "I'm currently still in my first trimester, so I hate to say it, but tonight will be the last time I will perform in a while. You're only going to get a couple songs because I'm on a date, too, with a very special man from my guild. Does that sound fair?" I received a rowdy response of "YEAH!" from the patrons as I laughed. "How about we get this party started?" I nodded and looked over at the band who was accompanying the singer I stole the stage from.

 _The sun goes down  
The stars come out  
And all that counts  
Is here and now  
My universe will never be the same  
I'm glad you came_

 _You cast a spell on me, spell on me  
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me  
And I decided you look well on me, well on me  
So let's go somewhere no-one else can see, you and me_

 _Turn the lights out now  
Now I'll take you by the hand  
Hand you another drink  
Drink it if you can  
Can you spend a little time,  
Time is slipping away away from us so stay,  
Stay with me I can make,  
Make you glad you came_

 _The sun goes down  
The stars come out  
And all that counts  
Is here and now  
My universe will never be the same  
I'm glad you came  
I'm glad you came_

 _You cast a spell on me, spell on me  
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me  
And I decided you look well on me, well on me  
So let's go somewhere no-one else can see, you and me_

 _Turn the lights out now  
Now I'll take you by the hand  
Hand you another drink  
Drink it if you can  
Can you spend a little time,  
Time is slipping away away from us so stay,  
Stay with me I can make,  
Make you glad you came_

 _The sun goes down  
The stars come out  
And all that counts  
Is here and now  
My universe will never be the same  
I'm glad you came  
I'm glad you came_

 _I'm glad you came  
So glad you came  
I'm glad you came  
I'm glad you came_

 _The sun goes down  
The stars come out  
And all that counts  
Is here and now  
My universe will never be the same  
I'm glad you came  
I'm glad you came_

The crowd joined in on the cheers, and patrons were throwing dollar bills on the stage like usual when I used to perform. Kneeling down, I picked up the money that was near me and stuffed it in my dress. "Thank you so much! I truly have missed you guys, but I'm going to do my last song before I have to say goodbye for a while. I'll miss you all!" I nodded to the band once more and started to sing.

 _Hey, hey, hey ,hey  
Ohhh..._

 _Won't you come see about me?_  
 _I'll be alone, dancing you know it baby_

 _Tell me your troubles and doubts_  
 _Giving me everything inside and out and_  
 _Love's strange so real in the dark_  
 _Think of the tender things that we were working on_

 _Slow change may pull us apart_  
 _When the light gets into your heart, baby_

 _Don't You Forget About Me_  
 _Don't Don't Don't Don't_  
 _Don't You Forget About Me_

 _Will you stand above me?_  
 _Look my way, never love me_  
 _Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling_  
 _Down, down, down_

 _Will you recognise me?_  
 _Call my name or walk on by_  
 _Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling_  
 _Down, down, down, down_

 _Hey, hey, hey, hey_  
 _Ohhhh..._

 _Don't you try to pretend_  
 _It's my feeling we'll win in the end_  
 _I won't harm you or touch your defenses_  
 _Vanity and security_

 _Don't you forget about me_  
 _I'll be alone, dancing you know it baby_  
 _Going to take you apart_  
 _I'll put us back together at heart, baby_

 _Don't You Forget About Me_  
 _Don't Don't Don't Don't_  
 _Don't You Forget About Me_

 _As you walk on by_  
 _Will you call my name?_  
 _As you walk on by_  
 _Will you call my name?_  
 _When you walk away_

 _Or will you walk away?_  
 _Will you walk on by?_  
 _Come on - call my name_  
 _Will you all my name?_

 _I say:_  
 _La la la..._

I stood there with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes. The crowd gave me a standing ovation, cheered, and applauded as they threw more money onto the stage. Giving them a smile, I bowed three times and collected the money before I walked off the stage to join Bickslow at our seat. He stood up and gathered me in a huge embrace as he whispered how proud he was of me. Next thing, I felt a tap on my shoulder while being in Bickslow's arms. Letting go and turning around, I see my old boss, Sam, standing there.

"Hey, Sam." I greeted as I wiped away a few tears that managed to leak out. "Sorry. I kind of stole the stage." I tried to give him the money I collected from performing.

"Keep it, kiddo." The older man said as he pulled me into a hug. Mavis, I miss these. "This was the first time I've seen the crowd this lively since I found out the news about your pregnancy. Congratulations, by the way!"

"Thanks, Sam!" I accepted as I released myself from him. "Wayne hightailed it out of there when he found out, and I thought I was going to do it alone. Bickslow, here, decided to step up and help me. Next thing we knew, we both had romantic feelings towards each other, so here we are!"

"Thank you, Bickslow, for stepping up to the plate." Sam shook Bickslow's hand. "Wayne never treated her right, so I'm glad she found someone else who is willing to be there for her."

"I know what it's like to not have a father." Bickslow said as he returned the handshake before he wrapped his arm around me. "It wouldn't be fair to the baby if he didn't have one, and it's not his fault that his dad is a deadbeat. I promised myself to be there for the child and Melody, despite our past. We're working on it, so I call that progress."

Sam chuckled as my stomach decided to make its presence. "Looks like Mama is hungry. Melody, your usual?"

"Change the ale to a water." I told him, and he nodded.

"Bickslow, what do you want?" Sam asked.

"I'll have her usual as well, but with a soda if you have it." Bickslow answered, and Sam nodded as he went back to the kitchen. We returned to our seats as I tried to tune out the horrible singer on stage with her pitchy voice. He grabbed my hand from across the table and rubbed his thumb over the top. I smiled in content and relaxed in my seat. "You performed wonderfully, Melody."

"Thank you, Bixy." I said as I blushed under his loving gaze. "It felt good to perform again. It'll be hard not going to this job for a while, but I'm glad the crowd understands." Just as I said that, Sam came out with our orders and drinks. We thanked him, but before he left, I asked, "How much do I owe, Sam?"

Sam chuckled heartily. "Don't worry about the bill, Melody and Bickslow. It's on the house as a thank you." He returned back to the kitchen to work on other orders. My night couldn't be any better. With hearing and seeing our baby to performing and having a free meal all because I made the crowd livelier. On top of all of this, it was a night well spent.

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 **A.N. - Hey, Readers! Sorry! I took a little longer with this chapter, working on the final details and whatnot! One of my friends who reads my fanfiction pointed out that it felt like to her that Bickslow is only in this relationship for the baby, and I was like no, he's not. That's why there's that scene in the beginning. I hope you enjoyed! R &R! Much Love!**

 **Songs used were: Glad You Came - The Wanted & Don't You (Forget About Me) - David Cook**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

A couple weeks had passed since the check-up and our first date. In that time, I kept my agreement I made with Master Makarov and started working with Laxus. I would dictate his letters to make sure he didn't say anything rude, file complaints into different teams (most of them were Team Natsu), and run errands for him. It was more of a messenger job, if anything else.

I decided to take a break from the paperwork and walked out onto the balcony to observe the guild. Mira was watching the bar, people were talking amongst themselves, and teams were choosing missions that could take days to months to finish. Sighing, I leaned against the railing, remembering the good days. The days were I could use my magic, the days when I could go on missions by myself and the Raijinshuu, the days when I could perform at the tavern.

I shook my head and walked into the restroom and made sure there was no one in any of the stalls before I locked the door. Leaning against it, I sighed once more and ran my hand down my face. I'm slowly losing my mind. After I pushed myself off the door, I splashed cold water on my face, trying to snap myself out of this funk. It, unfortunately, didn't work. My mood went further south as I looked at the mirror. My hazel eyes looked lifeless, my smile (when I tried) didn't reach my eyes, and my hair had lost its volume. This isn't the Melody I used to be.

Balling up a fist, I started to growl and punched it through a mirror. My adrenaline started to rise as I realized how good it felt to release this pent-up frustration. Screaming, I punched out the remaining mirrors, not noticing the blood that was dripping down the shards. I heard knocks on the door and the lock jiggle as people tried to open it.

"Melody, open up!" I heard Laxus yell, but I was lashing out and punching the already broken mirrors. I wasn't paying attention to him but to each individual shard I broke further and further down. "If you don't open that damn door by the count of three, I'll break it down! One!" Screaming in retaliation, I continued to my path of destruction. "Two." As I looked down at my knuckles and realized how much blood was dripping down them, I shuffled to the door and unlocked it right around the time Laxus was about to say three. I fell to my knees with my head bent and hands stretched outwards. "Mel, what did you do?"

"You might need to order new mirrors for the bathroom." I said weakly. "Don't worry. The baby is fine, but me, as you can all see, I'm not."

"Yeah, no shit, Mel." He said as he helped me up. "You're lucky Bix ain't here. He would cause a ruckus." Sighing, he led me to the infirmary room. "I'm gonna have Wendy look at your hands. Don't go anywhere."

As he started to leave, I called for him once more. "Please, don't tell Bix. It'll only make him mad and worried even more."

Laxus's face look conflicted at my request. "You can't ask me that, Singer." he responded. "I already promised him to look after you while he was gone." I hung my head in defeat and acceptance. _I really am useless._ He left the room to find the young blue-haired dragon slayer while I stared at my hands. Each shard of glass was staring me in the face as I looked at the destruction of my hands. Have I really gone that far into insanity?

"Hi, Melody." I heard a soft voice say. Looking up, I saw Wendy with a soft smile and Carla, with her arms crossed as usual, walk through the door. "I heard from Laxus about your hands. Can I see?" I show her my hands as she careful rotates them to see the extent of the damage. "This will take a little bit of time, but I will do my very best." I nodded with a small smile on my face before I focused on my hands to watch her heal them. She carefully took each shard of glass out of my hands with tweezers, used her magic to pull the tiny ones from the wounds, and gently wrapped my hands in gauze. "There you go. You might check with me tomorrow to have me check on them."

"Thank you, Wendy." I said as I looked at her before tears welled and blurred my vision. "Am I weak? Am I useless?" Looking at her in desperation, I cried out, "Please tell me!"

Wendy looked taken aback at my sudden outburst before she realized what brought this on. "No, Melody, you are not useless. You are not weak." Covering my wrapped hands with her small ones. "I know you are afraid and scared, and I know you're mad about not being able to use your magic or go on jobs. But, Melody, you are bringing a life into this world who is going to have an amazing mother and Bickslow as an amazing father. Your little one will have a crazy family, but we will love them nonetheless." Wrapping me in a gentle hug, she whispered in my ear, "Everything will be okay. We're here for you."

Returning the hug with tears in my eyes, but a smile on my face, I thanked her and Carla. As Wendy was finishing up the little things on my wounded hands, we both jumped when one of Bix's babies slammed the door open before the rest followed.

"Mama!" they all cried out before snuggling against me and my barely showing womb. They were checking to make sure I was alright and so was the baby.

I looked at Wendy and Carla with a sheepish look on my face. "Sorry, ladies. I better take care of these babies, but I promise to check in tomorrow with you. And Wendy?" I called as she was walking away. "Thank you again." She gave me a happy smile and exited the room just as Bickslow ran in. He took everything in as he focused on my hands before he looked at my face. "Bixy, sweetheart." I gently called out to him with soft eyes. "Come here." He didn't hesitate as he bolted to me and wrapped his arms around me. His hands were all over my back before he pulled back and gently grabbed my hands.

"What did you do?" Bickslow asked and made sure my eyes never broke his. Sighing, I told him everything of how I mentally broke, how I broke all the mirrors in the lady's restroom, and how I ended up here. I expected him to scold me, but instead, he wrapped me in his arms again. "I can't say I know how you feel because, sweetheart, I don't, but I do know this. I love you so much, and I promise to make sure you always feel satisfied and loved. I promise everything will be better."

Relaxing into him, I said, "I love you, too." Leaning my head up, I gave him a long kiss on his lips, trying to make sure he knew how I felt. He returned it, and there we stayed until oxygen was needed. "Let's go home." He nodded, and instead of letting me walk, he carried me in a bridal style and walked out of the guild to our home.

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 **A.N. – Hello, fellow Readers! I do apologize for being away for so long! I have been planning a wedding, working a full-time job, and attending school online full-time as well. It ended up being a hectic time that I lost my passion to write, but I promise to keep trying everyday to find my passion again! It won't be every day that I post a new chapter, but I will try my very best to give you a chapter at least once a month! Anyway, Read and Review! Please give me ideas that you would like to see in this story!**


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